Mounting device for service ribbons



May 3, 1955 I A. BOLOGNESE 2,707,344

' MOUNTING DEVICE FOR SERVICE RIBBONS Eiled Dec. 6, 1951 ATTORNEY 2,707,344 Patented May 3, 1955 ice 2,707,344 MOUNTING DEVICE FOR SERVICE RIBBONS Alfred Bolognese, Quantico, Va. Application December 6, 1951, Serial No. 260,179 Claims. (Cl. 40-1.5)

This invention relates to mounting devices for service and campaign ribbons, and more particularly to multiple bar assembly units wherein the individual horizontally disposed bars forming a part thereof are secured in spaced relation and parallel to each other.

Many suggestions have heretofore been made in the art for mounting service and campaign ribbons on bars so that a row of ribbons may be attached without difficulty i i to a coat or jacket for display purposes. However, in attaching a plurality of rows of bars on a jacket or coat, difiiculty has been encountered in positioning and maintaining the bars parallel to each other and in proper spaced and aligned relationship.

It is, therefore, an object of this invention to provide an improved campaign ribbon bar assembly unit comprising a plurality of bars maintained in properspaced relationship to each other, which unit may be quickly and easily attached to or detached from a jacket or coat.

for I aim to cover all modifications and alternative constructions falling within the spirit and scope of the invention as defined in the appended claims.

Referring to Figure 1, a multiple bar assembly unit is indicated by reference numeral 10 with service, citation, and campaign ribbons mounted thereon, and the unit attached to the jacket or coat of the wearer displaying the ribbons. The multiple bar assembly unit 10 comprises two or more bar or frame members identified by reference numerals 12 and 14. Each of these bar or frame members is generally rectangular in shape and formed of such length as to accommodate three service, citation, or campaign ribbons disposed in end to end relationship. Each of the bar or frame members is formed with side edges 20 and 22 which are substantially parallel to one another. The frame members which are formed of relatively flat material, are provided with a front surface upon which the ribbons to be displayed are mounted, and a back surface which is positioned adjacent to the jacket or coat of the wearer. As indicated in Figures 1 and 2, additional rows or partial rows of frame members such as those indicated by reference numerals 16 and 17 may be employed in the multiple bar assembly unit. Frame member 16 having a length to accommodate a single ribbon is indicated in Figures 1, 2 and 5, although the multiple bar assembly unit of this 1 invention may employ any desired number of frame mema plurality of rows of bars or frames upon which campaign ribbons may be secured, which unit is rigid in construction and can be fabricated by simple operations to provide a durable and inexpensive mounting device.

The invention also resides in certain novel structural characteristics and features which facilitate the carrying out of the foregoing objects, and which contribute both to the simplicity of the bar assembly unit and to its ruggedness of construction.

Other objects and advantages of the invention will become apparent from the following detailed description vii taken in connection with the accompanying drawings, in which:

Figure l is a perspective view showing the campaign ribbon bar assembly unit secured on a jacket or coat;

Figure 2 is a top plan view of the campaign ribbon bar assembly unit with service ribbons mounted upon the bars;

Figure 3 is a cross sectional view taken on line 3-3 of Figure 2;

Figure 4 is a cross sectional view taken on line 4--4 of Figure 2;

Figure 5 is a bottom plan view of the campaign ribbon bar assembly unit shown in Figure 2; and

Figure 6 is a cross sectional view taken on line 6-6 of Figure 5.

While the invention is susceptible of various modifications and alternative constructions, I have shown in the drawings and will herein describe in detail the preferred embodiment. It will be understood, however, that I do not intend to limit the invention by such disclosures,

bers, and the upper member may be of a length to accommodate one, two, or three ribbons.

In accordance with the regulations of the Department of Defense, the service, citation, and campaign ribbons are displayed in a plurality of substantially horizontally disposed rows of three'ribbons positioned in end to end relationship, each row of which is spaced from and substantially parallel to the adjacently positioned row. The upper or topmost row of ribbons may comprise less than three ribbons, such for example, as one or two ribbons which are centered with respect to the tier of ribbons which depend therefrom.

The bar or frame members 12, 14, 16 and 17 are secured in spaced relationship with the side edges 20 and 22 of each of the respective frame members positioned in parallelism by the use of fastening elements indicated by reference numeral 18 which bridge the space between the bar or frame members.

Each of the fastening elements 18 is preferably formed with flange members 24 and 26 located at the opposite ends of the fastening elements and positioned in substantially the same plane. A body portion extends between the flanges 24 and 26 which is formed by wall sections 28 which extend at substantially right angles to flanges 24 and 26, and by a connecting web section indicated by reference numeral 30 which extends between the end of the wall sections. By this formation of the fastening elements it will be apparent that the wall sections 28 and the Web section 30 are disposed in planes other than the plane of the end flanges 24 and 26.

The end flanges are rigidly secured to adjacently positioned frame members 12 and 14, 12 and 1.6, and 14 and 17 between the side edges 20 and 22 of the individual frame members. The flanges may be secured by the use of rivets, soldering, welding, or threaded elements to the back surfaces of the frame members 12 and 14. When the fastening elements 18 are secured generally centrally of the frame members in the manner described, it will be apparent that the side edges of the frame elements are unobstructed.

The ribbons 32 may be mounted upon each of the bar or frame members by any suitable means, and it will be apparent that the manner of fastening the frame members in position enables various formations of ribbon devices to be mounted upon the bars. In one manner of securing the ribbons to the bars, the edges of the ribbon are folded about or turned over the side edges 20 and 22 of the frame member, and lines of stitching 34 which extends across the rear surface of the frame member are inserted between the overturned edges of theribbon on the backside of the bar or frame. If desired, ribbons mounted on stiffened preformed channel members may he slid upon the bar members, in which instance the line of stitching 34 is eliminated and the turned over material at the edges of the ribbons will serve to hold the ribbons in place. Irrespective of the mode of applying the ribbons to the bars, it will be apparent that due to the fact that the fastening elements are secured intermediate and generally centrally of the side edges of the frame members, no obstruction to the overturned ribbon edges will be encountered due to the formation and position of the fastening elements 18.

Any suitable fastening means for securing the multiple barassembly unit to a coat or jacket may be employed. Pin members 36 are shown in Figures 5 and 6, which project from the back surface at each end of the frame members. When the multiple bar unit assembly is positioned on the coat or jacket, the pins extend through the material of the garment and are secured in position by keeper elements 38 positioned interiorly of the coat. Other forms of fastening means, such for example as attachment pins, snap fasteners, or the like, may be used if desired to attach the multiple bar assembly unit to a garment.

I claim:

1. A mounting device for service ribbons, comprising in combination, a plurality of elongated frame members each having front and back surfaces and provided with substantially parallel side edges, said frame members positioned in side by side relationship and spaced a predetermined distance apart, connecting means for securing adjacently positioned frame members in said position comprising a U-shaped fastening element bridging the space between said frame members and extending therebetween a spaced distance from the back surfaces of said frame members, and securing means for rigidly fastening the side legs of said element to the back surfaces of said adjacently positioned frame members substantially centrally of the side edges thereof.

2. A mounting device for service ribbons comprising in combination, two elongated frame members each having front and back surfaces and provided with substantially'parallel side edges, said frame members positioned in side by side relationship and spaced a predetermined distance apart, a U-shaped fastening element bridging the space between said frames and extending therebetween a spaced distance from the back surfaces of said members, and securing means for rigidly fastening the side legs of said element to the back surfaces of said frame members positioned substantially equal distances from the side edges thereof.

-; the same plane, and a body portion therebetween located in a plane offset from the plane of said flanges, and a securing means for rigidly connecting each of said flanges of said fastening element to the back surfaces of adjacently positioned frame members substantially centrally of the respective edges thereof whereby said body portion bridges the space between the adjacently positioned frame members.

4. A mounting device for service ribbons, comprising in combination, a plurality of elongated frame members each having front and back surfaces and provided with substantially parallel side edges, said frame members positioned in side by side relationship and spaced a predetermined distance apart, a fastening element formed with flanges located at each end thereof in substantially the same plane, and a body portion extending thereetween located in a plane offset from the plane of said flanges, each of said flanges rigidly secured to the back surfaces of one of said frame members substantially centrally of the edges thereof with the body portion bridging the space between the frame members.

5. A mounting device for service ribbons, comprising in combination, a plurality of elongated frame members each having front and back surfaces and provided with substantially parallel side edges, said frame members positioned in side by side relationship and spaced a predetermined distance apart, a fastening element formed with flanges located at each end thereof in substantially the same plane, and a body portion extending there between, said body portion comprising wall sections extending at substantially right angles to said flanges, and a web connecting said wall located in a plane spaced from and substantially parallel to the plane of said flanges, and securing means for rigidly connecting each of said flanges of said fastening element to the back surfaces of said frame members substantially centrally of the respective edges thereof whereby said body portion bridges the space between the adjacently positioned frame members.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 388,132 Harden Aug. 21,1888 1,785,449 Kahn Dec. 16, 1930 2,396,160 Coulter Mar. 5, 1946 2,588,050 Rutherford Mar. 4. i952 

